Does It Matter To Me?

It's a small unassuming little book with a big message: Just Courage by Gary Haugen. The subtitle is "God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian."

I'll probably be reflecting on this book for a long time and hope to share some of it over the next couple of weeks. But I don't just want to share it here, I want to give a copy of the book away. To enter, leave a comment below with some aspect of God's concern for the world and maybe how you are responding to that. You see, I need ideas on how God may want me to respond!

About half way through the book is this quote:

We must seek to rescue our neighbors with dedication and urgency with which we would go about trying to rescue our own family or even ourself. In a world of injustice, loving intervention on behalf of the oppressed is simple obedience to Jesus' must fundamental command to love our neighbor.

Do I have the same urgency to help those around me -- particularly the oppressed that I would have if it were happening to someone I knew and loved?

I think I have in the past. I think of my time as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). I spent 3 years representing two children in the foster care system. It was a demanding volunteer position. I averaged about 40 hours a month on my case over that time. I had that sense of urgency for those children.

But what about now? I have a couple children through Compassion International. That's a good thing. I pray for them daily. But what am I doing on a more active level to advocate/love someone who cannot do it for themselves?

Ideas please!

If there is some way you are showing that what matters to HIM matters to you please let me know. Or maybe you know someone who is taking action for God. I'd love to hear about them as well.

The contest will go until September 30. Every comment will be an entry. Oh, and I'm adding some quotes from the book to the quote section of my blog. Just click the word quote in the navigation bar and scroll down until you see "Gary Haugen: Just Courage."




ps: I'd love to have you promote the contest on your sites. If you want to, you can add the graphic by right clicking on it and down loading it to your site. Then click the paper clip/world icon and enter the address of this post or my general address of http//amylbrooke.blogspot.com Thanks!

No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets -- Hope Chronicles 64

Today I helped out at our new church building. We were working in the sanctuary. Being extremely unskilled labor, I did things like sweep, scrape putty off the flooring, move wood, pick up nails, and carry about 15 rolls of pulled up carpet to the dumpster.

Then Greg shouted, "I need someone who can drive." Not knowing what I was volunteering for, I said that I could. He had an errand that needed to be run. Three times people had tried to get staples for this do hickey thing that I have no clue what it was. Each time, the staples didn't fit. So, I was armed with the do hickey thing and a few staples and off to Hundman Lumber. Greg said that was the only place he had been able to find them.

The guy who helped me was skeptical that they had them. But I was persistent and followed him into the warehouse to look. Then he even loaded it and shot the staples into the wood. They were exactly what we needed.

But in getting ready for this work this morning, I pulled out several T-shirts. My jobs now don't really allow me to wear them, so they sit in a drawer. One shirt I pulled out was from InterVarsity's School of Leadership Training in 2000. We all got shirts with the motto "No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets" emblazoned on the back.

It got me thinking about the way I live my life. Can I say that I hold nothing in reserve? No. I'm cautious with my time, my energy, my money. Even in this church move, have I given my all. No. I've helped with a couple of meals and the moving and today construction type stuff. But I must admit that I've been more concerned about my energy level than the work that needed to be done. I like knowing that there is something held in reserve. But does God want me to live that way?

What about no retreat? No. I am one to retreat. Put me in a conflict situation and I pull back and retreat to the safety of my home or other relationships. I don't give up easily, but I do give up at times in other things as well.

No regrets. No, I have regrets. There are things I wish I had done or said. There are people I wish I had engaged with in a more meaningful way than what I have.

But Jesus could say all yes to all of those things. He held nothing in reserve. He gave his all and all each day he walked on this earth. Even when he wanted to spend time with the disciples and the crowds followed them, he looked at them with compassion and taught them and fed them. When he went to the cross, he held nothing back -- not even his life.

No retreat. Scripture is clear that Jesus knew exactly what was coming. He prayed that the cup be taken from him. He was in such anguish that he sweat great drops of blood. When they came for him he could have called angels to protect him. When he hung on the cross, he could have called angels to free him. But he knew that his retreat would cost him our lives, so he refused retreat at every turn.

No regrets. Honestly, at times when I fail, I wonder if Jesus regrets the price he paid for me. I mess up -- sometimes in big ways. But scripture is also clear, that Jesus looks at me with love and helps me up and says, "Try again."

There is hope in knowing that for Jesus there is no reserve, no retreat, and no regrets. Perhaps that should be my prayer for the next month or two -- that I will throw myself so fully into life and God's work that I shall have no regrets.

Will you join me in this prayer?

I'm Back

After a hiatus for medical reasons, I'm back. Hopefully, I'll but a post up soon. Thanks to so many who noticed I was MIA and the thoughts and prayers.

Where I'm At

Some of you have noted my absence. (Thanks for noticing.) I have not dropped off the edge of the earth even though it may seem like it. A couple things have been going on:

• We are still playing with a medication change for my depression. This alternately translates into lots of anxiety or no energy at all.
• Second, I have been busy, busy, busy. This weekend all I did was work and sleep. My B&N scheduled went from averaging 9 hours to one week averaging 21! Yeah for the pay check. Boo for my energy level.
  
• As a result of the above, I barely feel as if I have a coherent thought in my head. Seriously, last night was my 4th close in a row. I worked Wed. night, off Thursday, Friday night, Saturday night, and a whopping 3-10:30 on Sunday and then closed Monday. I very literally tried to convince a customer last night that it was Thursday. I chalk it up to not having a weekend!

So, I need to get back into blogging. Hopefully, that can happen over the next few days. Until then, please pray about the meds and about my energy level.

My Official Protest

I am not very fashion minded. I tend to dress for comfort and go with what I like. Typically, that is about 4 years behind the rest of the world.

Since today was Friday, it was jean day at work. I wore a short sleeved top and a nice bear of jeans and sandals. Makes perfect sense.

But I froze! Okay, I normally freeze in the office. I like the hot weather. A sweater or jacket is always at hand at work. But today I froze when I went outside on my lunch break to get warm!

I came home and changed before heading out to Barnes and Noble. It's September 5th. September 5th! I resorted to a sweater (a more light weight one, but still of the sweater variety) and a jacket and much warmer shoes before heading back out.

So, I am lodging my official protest of fall. It's too early really!

Anyone know of a job some place where it is warm all year round? I make good friend material and will even do childcare for free on occasion!

Compassion -- Jesus in Action

I'm blogging today for Compassion International. I've gotten to know Compassion over the last couple of years through sponsoring a couple children. At right is a picture of Kayirangwa. I call her Kay for short.

Kay is a wonder to me. At nine she has lived most of her life in poverty. There are three children in her family and she lives with both her parents. Can you imagine a family of 5 living on about $5 a month?

Compassion minsters to over a million children in the world's poorest countries. The parents want more for their children. Compassion partners with parents and the community to do more for these little ones.

Kay showed me that she knows what the word compassion means. In the letter at right, she thanks me for the birthday money I sent her. In stead of buying something just for herself, she bought a hen for her family so they can have eggs. Compassion is doing what you can for someone else. Kay does that! I am so proud of her. In this, I think she showed Jesus love and compassion.

Have you ever thought of sponsoring a child and thought that it just wasn't for you? What part of it isn't for you? It's a chance to have a relationship with a child in poverty. It's a chance to give a child hope because they know someone cares about them and believes in them. In turn, they give hope to their families and their communities.

Unfortunately, there are more children than sponsors! Will you sponsor one today? For the cost of $32 a month you will know a child is receiving an education, food, and health care. That's just slightly over a dollar a day -- a dollar we might carelessly spend on a candy bar or in the pop machine. Could you drink water or have a candy bar only once a week if it meant a child could buy a hen and her family could have eggs?

Do you have kids? I know some people who have a meal once a week like a meal their child might have. One friend's kids sell rocks for money to support their child. They send pictures they have drawn.

Does a child need you? Yes, but do you need a Compassion child? Yes. If only for the simple fact that your child will be praying for you. Kay writes that she is praying for blessing for me and how surprised she is that like her I eat rice and beans! These kids care about their sponsors and together discover all the ways that we are similar in spite of being in the middle of IL and Kay being in the African country of Rwanda.

You can look at my sidebar to see photos of Compassion kids. But I want to encourage you to click here to be taken to the pictures of kids who have been waiting 6 months or more. Just imagine waiting and waiting for a sponsor and suddenly someone picks you! It might seem a bit like God looked down and smiled. You would probably run home with the news. "I'm sponsored! Someone loves me!"

Won't you be a part?

I love having the link on my sidebar for Compassion children. But I confess, I struggle with not being able to sponsor every one of them myself!

Other links about my involvement with Compassion:
The Search for Ecuador
Gifts
From America with Love
A Child in Rwanda
Last letter to Delia
When A Child Buys A Hen

Esther's Choice

My sister and I were about fifteen the summer we drove to a North Carolina beach with my mom, younger sister, aunt, and cousin. We passed the mornings at the beach, returning about 1:00 to the rented condo for lunch, and cycling back to the beach in the late afternoon.

One late afternoon when we returned we found that the tide had come in and filled in a lower almost gully type area. Thinking that it would be shallow, we started to wade through.



I'm posting over at Internet Cafe today. Please click the button to finish reading this post!